Fire's Blaze
by ChocolateXLavender
Summary: Starfire is changing. For the better or worst? She isn't the only one changing. Robin is different than he usually is. Why or rather who is making him that way? Only one way to find out.
1. Light

Author's Note: Well this is my first fanfiction. I am happy about all the hits and reviews that I got on this story. Love to my bestie M.R. Delizzle who helped me out with some buffering. So without further ado the first chapter with a few edits.

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><p>Starfire looked into the horizon with a wistful, somber expression on her face. The Titan Tower contrasted with the orange and lavender hues of the sunset. Each hue reminded her of her native planet, Tameran. She felt the homesickness lull her into a sense of pure loneliness. She couldn't meditate as she usually did with Raven to alleviate it this time. Ah Raven. She had helped Starfire meditate into a blissful state called a "happy place." Her happy place didn't give her much relief this time seeing that her favorite mental retreat was once shared with her now long gone little brother Ryand'r. A tear escaped from her eyes as she remembered playing in the lagoon with her brother and sometimes her sister until the g'norshkas had given them enough bumps that they had to go home.<p>

Any other day, the joy of the day would overpower the sadness of the memory, but today was a day for Starfire to not see the brightness of the day. It was a day to remember, a day to forget, a day of loss and love, and a day to regret. This was the day of the final burst of energy from Ryand'r flying into X'hal's kingdom for the rest of eternity. Starfire would never see her little brother make his first flight into the air with her or see the brightness of their energy bolts clash as they fought in a practice duel. The last memory she would ever have of him is when they were with the evil Gorgonians as they murdered him right before her eyes as she watched on in tears with her arms stuck in impenetrable shackles that cut her wrists as she struggled to get out of her restraints and get vengeance on everyone who so much as looked at the gory murder. The streams that winded down her face as she remembered getting out of that blasted battleship a couple of months later and got her revenge without killing one person on the ship.

Starfire wasn't proud to admit that she didn't exactly leave them without very serious and permanent damage. That moment where she saw her brother breath his last breath as he was stabbed multiple times with shards of krypton and steel until the floor was drenched was a moment that would forever haunt the poor girl. Whenever Starfire got really ticked she would reflect on that moment and . . . let's just say that the bad guys definitely didn't gain anything good out of it. Star was amazing in warfare when she was given the opportunity that she rarely got when fighting with the rest of the Titans. That wasn't to say she didn't love being in the team; she just loved being able to fight the way she wanted to without holding back or being afraid of accidentally killing someone because her attack was too strong. The Titans had lost many training robots that way that wasn't exactly the cheapest to buy.

The Teen Titans only knew two sides of Starfire: the happy, bubbly side that gushed joy all the time and the mildly fierce side of her that was showcased with the villains that they fought each week. They didn't know about her heart that while filled with love for the Titans ached to have her little brother in her life once again and her best friend to give her advice or protect her from the cruel pranks of Blackfire. She knew that her best friend, Pnorx, would know exactly what to tell her to do about the whole wishy-washy situation with Robin.

Starfire rolled her eyes and wiped away her tears at the thought of her indecisive . . . something? He kept sending her the signals of mixing. One day he tries to kiss her and the next he was saying they shouldn't have a relationship because it might ruin the team for good. It was so frustrating because whenever he said that he sure wouldn't prove it when anybody tried to ask her out or ask if she was single. Then he would act so jealous and go back to flirting with her. The most miserable time that happened for her was when Red X was fighting Robin and began flirting with Starfire and ultimately kicked Robin's ass from wall to wall in the warehouse. While Starfire was bent over Robin's body trying to get him above her arms to lift him up, Red X pinched Star's butt. Let's say that Robin wasn't very happy. Red X ended up getting away and everyone was frustrated from the results of the fight, though none was as bad as Robin. They got back to the Tower in about ten minutes, all of them trying to catch up with Robin. Almost all of the Titans moved out of his way so that he can vent his frustration on the punching bag in the training room. He had about exhausted the poor punching bag and was still ticked off by the time Star came in the room. She opened her mouth to speak and he passionately kissed her until she was breathless. After duking it out with their tongues, they both pulled away to catch their breath.

"Star," Robin panted. "That should never have happened."

She looked at him confused. She had enjoyed it, why did had he not? "Why is that?" Robin backed out of her embrace and looked down. "I'm no good for you Star. What if an enemy finds out about us and targets you because of me?"

"Then we shall deal with it together." Robin shook his head vigorously.

"If we were together, then it would mess up the team." Starfire shook her head this time. "What if we don't and we only get stronger as a result?"

"I can't risk the team for us Star. The team is too important!" He was screaming at this point. "How dare you call me important and then say these words to me? If you do not wish to be with me, then say it. I can be just friends with you, but do not do the playing of my emotions Robin!" She screamed back into his face.

"Fine then. I only want to be friends. I want to just forget this ever happened, Star. Are you happy now?" His face was cold, so cold. She wanted him to go back on what he said this one time. Tears burned her eyes and she used some energy to burn them away as her face became the cold mask it was when she landed on Earth straight from the Gorgonians' ship. "I am joyous, Friend Robin."

Since that day they both pretended what they felt for each other was insignificant. They both had their own ways of coping. Robin spent his time beating the stuffing out of punching bags while Starfire meditated with Raven to keep her joyous guise in place. Sometimes she snuck out of the house to go dance at a club nearby to just wash away her frustrations even if she had to do it with her identity hidden. Either way they could both move their anger out on something other than each other. She knew the rest of the team could detect that something was still off between the not – so platonic twosome. At least something could distract from the tension as Robin had announced that a friend of his from his past was coming into town.

Speak of the Gxork and he shall appear. Robin came over the communicator to disrupt the alien's mental ranting. "There's trouble at the old Warehouse. Come now." Starfire rolled her eyes in annoyance. "We're coming now Robin." Cyborg said. Star placed her little brother's amulet back above her neckpiece and flew into the sky.

Ah, that freeing sensation of flying. It was the only thing that could give her the feeling of freedom that could make her forget the pain of the anniversary of her brother's death. It was amazing how those bad feelings could be thrown into the sensation of flying. She flew towards the old Warehouse in a hurry. Most of the Titans were standing there in the alley with shadows haunting the back of the alley as the streetlight cast a fluorescent glow on the Titans. Star hoped that they didn't notice her red-rimmed green eyes. Unfortunately for her they did. Cyborg wondered what caused his little sister to be so hurt enough to cry. Raven remained cool and indifferent, while wondering the same thing as Cyborg; Beast Boy was amped to kick some butt, while Robin had yet to come.

They stood there waiting for Robin for about five minutes before a boomerang zoomed a centimeter above Star's shoulders. Her eyes glow a luminescent green as the team prepared for battle. A hook spun around her ankle as she shot star bolts at the shadows in the alley from which it came. "Please do not make me be the pain bringer." Starfire said, her frustration making her energy bolts glow slightly brighter. Raven lifted a mailbox into the air with her dark aura muttering, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." It slammed into the wall next to the figure causing a black shoe to be cast into the light.

A high, feminine voice said, "I hope that's not all you got." Beast Boy in his pterodactyl form flew to the foot before launching onto her as a green tiger effectively tearing some cloth off of her leg as she muttered profanity under her breath. "Really grass stain? Tearing fabric is your best shot? I could cry from how sad that is. A hook wrapped around Beast Boy tying him in a knot and effectively making him shift back to normal form while struggling through the rope restraints. "Tsk tsk. How about you Metal Man? What are you bringing to the party?" Her tone was now slightly seductive. Cyborg lifted his bright cannon towards her and was about to launch the attack as Robin swung from a rope off the roof of the warehouse.

"Cy! Stop! Titans at ease!" Robin said as he landed in front of them and stared at the form moving out of the darkness. The girl looked so familiar, almost like – She stopped in front of them. "I see you haven't changed much Boy Wonder." He gasped and stepped back in shock.

"Batgirl."


	2. Conflict of Emotions

(A/N): Here we go. Chapter 2. Click that button below the chapter and review. I need to know what I got right and wrong with this chapter. Problems as pointed out by my Beta M.R. Dalizzle.

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><p>"Well. I see you kept that sweet way with the ladies." She smirked as Robin fell out of shock and hugged her closely. Starfire tried to keep from narrowing her eyes in annoyance. They hugged for a couple moments longer than Starfire thought was necessary and finally he pulled back from her. They smiled at each other as Robin began the introductions.<p>

"Batgirl, this is the team. That's Raven, Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy. This is Batgirl or Barbara if we're in public." He pointed to each Titan in turn. She looked at each member for a few seconds before leveling her gaze at Starfire. Barbara put a hand out to each of them after each member greeted her. She narrowed her eyes at Starfire as she scoped her out for a few seconds. "I love that amulet, Serena." Starfire gazed back and said with fire in her eyes and probably her hands too, "Actually my name is Starfire, Barbara." She moved her gaze back to Robin who still had a dopey grin on his face as he looked at Batgirl.

"Now that everybody's introduced, let's go back to the tower and eat." Cyborg said. Beast Boy and Cyborg started a spiel about having tofu or real meat for dinner or not. Raven muttered about the stupidity of the whole argument as Star tried to maintain her normal, happy façade as she used all her strength to not look at Babs and Robin making the ham up.

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><p>"So where is your home Barbara?" Starfire asked. The team sat down to eat some leftover pizza from the night before. Barbara had the entire team cracking up as she told some of the wilder stories from her and Robin's past, excluding the truth about Batman of course. The entire team seemed to be enchanted with her, well with the exception of Starfire who seemed oddly melancholy to the rest of the team. She swallowed a bite of her third slice of pizza and looked at Starfire sideways. "Hmm?" she asked. "Where are you from?" Raven asked.<p>

"Oh, I'm from Gotham. Robin and I go _way _back." Starfire scrunched her face up a little at this. That caught everyone's attention, except for Robin. Cyborg asked, "I'm guessing that you worked with Batman then?" She smirked and looked towards Robin out the corner of her eye. He was watching to see what she would do, she could tell. "Occasionally. I'd have to say more often than not." Beast Boy yawned very loudly. It was obvious that she was not going to tell much more about Gotham than Robin would. Heck, the Titans only knew that he ran into Batman sometimes in Gotham.

"Oh, can you tell us some stories about Gotham and Batman? I hear he can be really tough." Beast Boy said. Batgirl and Robin stared into one another's eyes, both dancing with mirth. "He can be intense and really annoying, but I can't really say scary. Can you Robin?" His eyes froze over. "I can't say Barbara. Well, I'm going to sleep." He yawned obnoxiously. "Goodnight Titans." Barbara and Starfire followed them with their eyes. "Oh, Boy Wonder?" Barbara said liltingly before he made it to the door. "You forgot to tell me where I'm staying for the night." He blushed slightly, way too out of character to the rest of the team.

"Oh right. I'll show you now, if you want." Robin said. Barbara followed him out of the living room and down the corridor into his own room. As soon as the doors to his room closed, she asked him, "So where can a girl change clothes?" He nodded over to his bathroom. Barbara disappeared through the doors and a few seconds later appeared free of her uniform with one of his shirts and a pair of boxers on. He cleared his throat to swallow the old feelings that came rushing back when she reappeared. "What's wrong, do you have something stuck in your throat?" He shook his head.

"If you need me I'll be sleeping on the couch." She frowned and pulled his arm as he was about to go through the door. "Nonsense, I can sleep out there if I'm putting you out. What happened to all of the guest rooms you were bragging about before over the phone?" She shook out her auburn red hair, the amber highlights catching the light. Her amber eyes popped out even more with the highlights around her face. Oh he definitely had an attraction to redheads, especially the one wearing his clothes.

"Don't be ridiculous Babs. The guest rooms were messed up by a little incident that happened a few days before and you're a guest. The couch isn't exactly the most comfortable place for you to sleep." She quirked an eyebrow.

"So why risk your back for tomorrow then? Come on. I don't bite, just sleep on the bed and we can share like old times." He hesitated. Before he could start shaking his head, she blurted out, "Does this have anything to do with that orange girl, Starfire?" He shook his head violently at first, then he nodded slowly. "So I take it you're confused about it. Why don't you act on it?"

Robin groaned. "Do we have talk about this now? I just want to go to sleep. What side of the bed do you want?" Babs smirked, mirth hiding the curiosity and jealousy brewing inside of her. "Left. I can tell that you need to release some emotions, so why not tell good old Babs." She plopped down on the edge of the bed and peeled back the covers, lying down on the bed and replacing the covers. His head was between his hands as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Robin you can't exactly hide from your emotions here. If you can't deal with your problems with Starfire, then how can we talk about what's going on between the two of us?" Robin shook his head. "That is your problem right there. You can't deal with your emotions. You are just like Bruce." Babs said softly. Those words broke through his emotional conflicts.

"I am nothing like that man! I am not cold and heartless!" Robin yelled. Babs only arched her eyebrows and rested her elbows onto the pillows.

"Neither is he. How many times has he come to your rescue? Been there for you?" She moved out of the bed.

"Thrown me out of Gotham? Turned his back on me? Never bothered to try to help me branch out of that damned city? He didn't even try to listen to me anymore!" Robin yelled.

She held up her hands in front of her. "Fair enough Robin. However he is still the closest person to being your father; he took you in when you needed it most. If there was ever any question about it you just proved it because this man that you claim to hate passed on the emotional iciness." She said with an edge of cockiness to her voice. She moved closer to the edge of the bed. Robin jumped up and said with venom, "I am nothing like him. You know how he is Babs and I am just not him." Barbara stood next to Robin.

"Your mouth is making checks, your actions just won't cash. C'mon Richard!" She threw her hands up into the air as he shook his head violently. "You can't even take off this mask to speak to your friend. If you are nothing like him then prove it. Deal with these emotions that no one gets to see. Be the guy that Bruce isn't." She placed her arms around his neck and slipped her hands under the mask loosening it until it fell to the ground and looked into his icy blue eyes. Their eyes held a contact line of electricity as she said, "Be the guy I remember." She placed her hands on his cheeks affectionately. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hands. The electricity intensified as their lips neared towards each other like magnets, eyes closing like windowshades. Her lips hovered over his enough that he could feel the rumbling of lightning strikes that were her words. "I miss him so much. Have you seen him?" He leaned in and planted a deep, throaty kiss on her. She smiled in victory once they broke apart."I missed you so much." He mumbled under her lips. He plunged back into the kiss, drowning in the depths before Starfire's face popped up into his mind and the hallway where she remained hidden from his line of sight. He took her hands from her face into his own and leaned his forehead onto hers.

"I can't do this Babs." She gazed at him, confused before a look of realization came across her face. "Oh. I get it. You feel something for her too." He looked down in guilt. He couldn't exactly deny that. "Wow. You don't have to be ashamed of that. It's been too long and I guess I still had pent up feelings. Hypocritical, huh?" She laughed a little, looking away from her.

He held onto her chin and pulled her face back towards his. "I can't jump back into a relationship with you. I will always love you, but I do have feelings for her too. I can't forgo them because I saw you again. I don't want to hurt either of you and I would be doing exactly that by jumpng into a relationship with you and not sorting out these _emotions._" He shivered as he spoke the word. Damn, one kiss and she had him speaking like this. She laughed and shook her head.

"I am not Supergirl, and this will not be my kryptonite. If you need to figure it out, then that's fine. Just know that I will be here for you until you can sort it out. In the meantime I'll leave you with something to consider." She pulled him close and kissed him more passionately than before, he tried not to let himself kiss her back, but failed as her lips unfroze him and caused him to melt farther into it. They made out for a little while longer. "Goodnight Robin. I'm going to the couch if you need me." She sashayed out the door and into the corridor, not even noticing the Tameranean standing opposite from her, eyes glowing brightly like freshly reflected jewels.

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><p>Okay, so I know that people have been checking out this story and I'm happy that everyone has given me the privilige of reading this story that popped into my brain, but I need reviews so I don't get this deadly disease called Writer's Block. Yes I was recently diagnosed and I'm seeking help for it. Problem is, I don't know how to really get the ball rolling in the next few chapters. Please all I'm asking for is reviews. Flame it, praise it, do something nice like leaving a tip for the writer.<p> 


	3. Meditation

**As you can see my disease has been going away. My beta M.R. Dalizzle has been helping me cure it. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this far and I'm still establishing a rhythm to posting so please be patient and keep reviewing. **

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><p>Starfire floated into the living room at light speed. She could not believe the sight she accidentally did the walking in on. Beast Boy and Cyborg slowly filtered out of the Tower after Robin and Barbara left.<p>

"Wow. That girl must have some kind of effect on him to get him to act like that." Cyborg said with raised eyebrows. The team nodded. It had been a long time, if ever that they saw Robin go pink at something that someone said with embarrassment.

"I know dude. She has some kind of effect on him. I never really saw him let loose like that ever. There is some serious chemistry between the two. Did you see how his eyes just lit up at the sight of her? It was all –" Raven kicked him under the table, making his eyes water. Beast Boy let loose a squeal as he curled into himself on the chair. Cyborg pushed back his chair slowly and looked away from Starfire in pity. He clapped her on the shoulder gently and went on to his room. Beast Boy, after he finally recovered from his deadly kick looked over at Starfire whose eyes were cast down at the table as if she wished she could sink into the floor. "Oh, I'm sorry Starfire. I really didn't think about –"

"No you didn't. Goodnight Beast Boy." Raven interrupted forcefully. The influx of emotions she was getting was becoming a little too much to handle. The switches from incredulity to pity was already enough to handle without throwing in Starfire's feelings of guilt, rage, grief, and jealousy made Raven's powers go awry enough to do some damage. Luckily her powers knocked a remote into Beast Boy's junk to even out the emotional atmosphere some.

Beast Boy looked over at Starfire and threw out a cluster fudge of pity towards her. "I'm really sorry Star. Who knows I mean that chemistry could just fizzle out? Teenage flings don't last very long, especially between friends." A black aura in the form of a hand grabbed him by the mouth and tossed him into the hallway.

An awkward silence ensued after the boys had left. Starfire knew that Raven could see through her false cheeriness and see the jealousy and grief that she was hiding all day. Starfire got up to clean the dishes in the sink for her round of dish duty. Beast Boy's words echoed through the air as Starfire worked diligently at the sink. The silence spoke so much more volumes than any fake cheery assurances that Starfire was fine. Raven finally broke it to say, "Star, I hope you realize that I know everything that you feel. You don't have to tell me what's wrong, but I won't mind if you do." Little did Raven know that would open the floodgates of emotions that she had been holding back.

"Friend Raven, this is not a good day for me. Today is the day that I lost someone very important to me." She nodded so as not to make the girl worked up. "I lost my baby brother today a few years ago." Raven watched Starfire set down the dishes she had finished rinsing slowly. She dried off a hand and gently patted Starfire on the arm as she cried heavily. "There there. I'm sure he's in a better place." Starfire cried until her eyes were bloodshot and Raven was extremely uncomfortable. "Well, that explains your sadness; would you like to explain your jealousy?" Starfire nodded.

"I have the 'crush' on Robin. I thought he returned those feelings when he kissed me, but then he took back his words to not hurt the team. Now he has this science with his friend and I am confused. Is he dropping me like the potato of warmth for Batgirl?" She gasped for breath to not choke after her brisk stream of questions that Raven just barely heard.

"Let's start from the beginning Starfire. When did he kiss you?"

"It occurred around three or four weeks ago. It was wondrous Raven. I felt so free. On my planet, this 'kissing' is used to transfer language as you saw when I met everyone. Here, it is used for so much more than that. Somehow I knew what to do when there was the meeting of tongues." Raven raised her eyebrows. _Wow, um, TMI. On the bright side it looks like Boy Wonder can do something without his weapons. _She had started sniffling when she was talking. "I really have the crushing on him although it appears that he does not have the same feelings for me that I do for him. What did I do wrong?" Raven looked away as a few unexpected tears flowed down her cheeks.

"You didn't do anything wrong Starfire. Some people don't know how to express themselves to the people that they have feelings for. Have you talked about it with him?" She nodded. "And he still didn't hear it, huh?" Star nodded slowly. "I think you should talk with him again and make him listen. You should probably meditate or relax before you do." Starfire came to Raven's side of the table and hugged her. She squirmed uncomfortably as she tried to remain as stoic as possible. "Thank you, Friend Raven." She nodded as she was released out of the hug. "You're welcome Starfire. 'Night." Raven flew out of the room at breakneck speed and towards her room. Gosh, Nevermore was about to be flooded over with sympathy tonight.

Starfire paced around the room for a while processing her teammate's words. Robin did seem to have problems expressing himself to everyone on the team. _Of course, Barbara is not on the team._ How could Starfire make him listen when he was wrapped in seeing Barbara? _Perhaps I should listen to Friend Raven and meditate. _She plopped down in the middle of the living room and crossed her legs. _Find your place of happiness. Find your place of happiness._

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><p>She sat on a cliff overlooking the Crpter River. The river flowed over the rocks that decorated the bottom and moved the <em>jcmey<em> swimming away from the _scleptwa _that resembled the Earthlings sharks. Her brother's amulet was fastened to her left glove as she looked at the water. Birds were croaking in the air and a young man was walking towards Starfire. He looked to be around eighteen or nineteen with brilliant bronze hair that the sun glinted off of. He wore silver arm cuffs with a garnet stone glistening against his slightly orange skin, purple Tameranean combat boots, a warrior uniform that was similar to Starfire's gnorfka's in the royal colors. She looked up at his face and locked eyes with the same emerald eyes that haunted her to this very day with the pain and suffering that they held at a time before.

"Ryand'r. You are alive." He smiled and looked at his older sister whose eyes held so much pain and love his heart gave a few squeezes that made his eyes water. "I am in your heart, but not in this world. I am here because you need me to be. Tell me what is wrong and I shall be here for as long as you need me." Tears streamed down her face and onto her chin.

"I miss you, Brother. I wish you were still alive." He strode over to where she was sitting and sat next to her. He pulled her into a hug and brushed away the tears from her eyes.

"It is okay, Sister. I miss you, but how will these tears bring me back?" She remained silent. "It will not. The only thing you can do for me, dead or not, is to remain open to love and happiness. The sister I know has too great a heart to carry all of this sorrow. Let in the light that you carry in your heart to guide you and you won't need me. Now I shall always be here for you whenever you need me, but be independent of this grief my sister. I love you. If you ever need me, hold me in your heart and keep the memory of me happy and alive rather than that depressing one.

"I have the boy troubles. My teammate Robin is the holder of my desires. I do not know what to do, dear brother. He has me caught in the emotions of mixing. He kisses me one day, then he tells me we should not be together for the sake of the team. I wonder if all Earth boys have the mood of washing and fishing or is it wishing?" Ryand'r furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "What is the big deal about kissing? You needed to learn a new language, right?"

"On this planet, kissing is their way of showing affection, like how Tameran has the touch on the neck for affection. It is amazing how much they express with kiss here. I believe Robin was showing affection when he kissed me then he took it back like a _blorp'thog. _I grow irritated with his antics. I believe I feel care for him in a way no one has ever made me feel before, but I wonder if he returns my feelings when he does the blowing off of me frequently. What must I do, brother?"

He cast his eyes downward and sighed, "I apologize for what I must say now sister. You should probably leave him alone for awhile and allow your emotions to cool down. The more time you spend away from him, the more perspective you should be able to gain. My Sister, be calm of mind when you deal with this situation. Be strong and do not you dare project your emotions on him. I love you sister." He placed a kiss on her head and she began to come out of her meditation. She walked out into the hallway, calmed by her decision to speak to Robin. She slowed down as she moved down his hallway with his room and the guest room that got messed up by a certain prank war between Beast Boy and Cyborg.

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><p>Strains of conversation came from Robin's room as she walked towards the light streaming from inside. Barbara was clad in a shirt that was obviously Robin's due to the traffic colors flashing and a pair of boxers. She was sitting on the edge of his bed and listening to him say with venom equal only to when he spoke of Slade, "I am not like him. You know how he is Babs and I am just not him." She rose to stand next to Robin, moving closer sinuously. Her eyes began to swirl into similar shades of bright green.<p>

"Your mouth is making checks, your actions just won't cash. C'mon Richard. You can't even take off this mask to speak to your friend. If you are nothing like him then prove it. Deal with these emotions that no one gets to see. Be the guy that Bruce isn't." Starfire was filled with jealousy and yearned to break apart this moment. Barbara untied the mask and stared into his eyes. Her blood began to freeze in her veins as she saw his beautiful eyes for the first time and saw the affection in them – for Babs. They both began to lean in to one another and Star looked away to wipe away the tears clouding over her eyes. She looked up to see him kissing her almost the same way he kissed her the other week. They finally drew away from each other.

She looked down, trying to focus all of her energy from coming out. The amorous couple were still clinging to one another as if they would drown. She tuned out the rest of their words and felt energy burn away her tears. How could he do this? He could take off his mask and look into Babs' eyes and kiss her the same way he kissed Starfire, but he couldn't even give Star a minute of his time to talk to her about their non-relationship? It wasn't fair at all. "I love you, but I have feelings for her too. . . I don't want to hurt either of you." The words wafted up to her ears for a few seconds. Her energy balanced out for a second before it began to simmer wildly. He had feelings for Star, but he loved Barbara. She began to feel guilty.

All the times that he rejected her for the good of the team didn't even involve the team, but his relationship with Barbara. Star had kissed him when he was committed to Barbara and undermined what they had unintentionally. She had pushed him and refused to let up – _It takes two to do the_ _ballroom tango_. Her guilt began to melt into the control panel of the guest room as the words reverberated through her mind. Even if she had pushed him, he allowed her to. If he claimed to love Barbara then why did he pursue her the way that he did. A greenish glow filled the hallway as she further processed the meaning of his actions.

Even though he loved Barbara, he had played these games of stupidity with Starfire's heart. He kissed her more than once and then rejected her like waste product. Her heart was like a yo-yo to toy around with until Babs was available to him. How could she be so _rutha_ for him? She just allowed him to make his way into her heart like the ground of playing. Even if he did have feelings for them both, he never explained to her that he wanted space to meditate on his emotions for the two girls. If he wanted space to process his emotions, then she would allow him the opportunity. He may even redeem himself in her emerald eyes.

Barbara sauntered past her with a smirk on her face. The steam rolling off of her hands caused her to notice the glaring girl in the hallway. She gave a small wave towards her and said, "I wouldn't go in there if I were you. He seems a little confused. I guess my kisses still make him weak in the kness." She winked at Starfire. She twirled around a lock of her scarlet hair. "That's _my_ Robin though. He just needs some love from his Babs." The doors to the living room slid apart. Star followed her inside.

"What do you mean _your _Robin? I thought that you were simply a friend of Robin." She plastered on a look of confusion as if trying to process her words. Barbara threw back her head and laughed as her ponytail shook between her shoulder blades.

"Dick is my boyfriend. You know, he's my love, I'm his heart. You know you may as well give it up. He is mine." She walked towards the range.

"What makes you have the belief that I hold the romantic emotions for Friend Robin?" Barbara held her stomach and enjoyed a nice, long laugh. She held onto the edge of the stove as she fought back hysterics and her jealousy.

"Oh please. It's obvious that you have feelings for him. It's almost as if you believe you have a chance." She crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow, a ghost of her bitter laughter playing on her lips. "Good thing, I'm here to set you straight then. Here's the deal Starfire: you are going to stay away from Robin unless you have to be with him and I won't have to show you the consequences. Got it?"

Starfire's irises brightened by a couple of shades and the corners of her lips quirked up as she snickered, "That is amusing Barbara. I do not think you realize that he holds the desire for me as well. If you are certain that there is a powerful relationship, then by the meaning of all keep having those beliefs."

Barbara uncrossed her arms and clenched the edge of the stove as she struggled to maintain her cool. Starfire's gaze flickered between Barbara's hold on the chair and her eyes filled with fury laced with hurt. Babs shook her head and gritted her teeth. "Get this straight; he will always choose me. If you don't understand that, then it is you're to blame for the hurt to come."

"I shall carry no guilt for his heart has been for the taking long before you have come back into the photograph. We shall see about who gets hurt Barbara. Enjoy the rest of your night. " Starfire walked out of the living room and threw the parting words over her shoulder as she walked with a newfound confidence towards her bedroom. Barbara faced the stove and fumed through her nose. Richard loved her. She was certain of it, _right_?

Barbara threw a forgotten mug into the sink as she released some of her anger. Gosh! How dare she question their bond? Robin was hers and hers alone. From the moment that they kissed in Gotham, she knew that Robin was meant for her. They both felt that spark on that day and it certainly shot through her lips again when she kissed him in his bedroom not that long ago. Even when they were simply friends she always felt hints of attraction for him when they were together. Barbara was overjoyed when the kiss happened the first time around and having a relapse was pure bliss.

She hung her head over the stove and stared into the stovetop's shiny surface to see if her reflection could answer her burning question. Why was he so hung up over Starfire? Why could he not just go with the flow and pick up with their relationship like she knew he wanted to? She slid down so that she was sitting on the floor next to the fridge. He obviously had an attraction towards the Tameranean that threatened the continuation of their relationship. She could understand in a sense why; she was beautiful, powerful, and exotic. That shouldn't matter in the face of the love that they had.

She squared her shoulders. She refused to give up on her chance to be with Robin after years of waiting on him. If Starfire wanted a war, then by God she would have it.

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><p>(AN: Okay. I know I hadn't updated in forever so just review and give me some feedback so I can circulate a groove once more. Thanks.


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